weaker yen, stronger dollar. the u.s. currency is trading at the upper yen level. that's the highest lel in 24 months. the dollar yen is strading at 84.74 to 75 in tokyo. earlier the dollar hit 84.96 yen at one stage. investigato investors are buying yen.

>> the central bank will face further pressure. >> we're going to get some more answers as the new administrati administration launches on wednesday. the ps is on. he's talking about revising the law to set target of 2%. >> we think the yen

we think it's supporting for weaker yen. european debt concern should be eased things to esm. >> let's get a check on how tokyo stocks are reacting. it's currently at 10,094. a gain of 1.6% from friday's close. many analysts think the trend will continue. in other business headlines the

rate of unpaid tensipensions inn hit a record high. around 26% or more than 4.5 million of those enrolled failed to pay premiums between april 2009 and march 2011. 74% said they couldn't pay because the premium is too high. 10% refuse to pay because they couldn't trust the system. the monthly premium is about $180. despite the increasing popularity of smart phones, japanese makers are expected to face another tough year. worldwide production of mobile phones will rise 12% next year to $245 billion.

that's as increasing number of people switch to smartphones from regular phones. shair share their share is expected to decli decline. apple and south korea's samsung remain strong. time to get a check on our global economic calendar for this week. it's a slow week. on wednesday the standard and poors home price index for october will be released. the index has shown a positive tone as the u.s. home market is on a recovery track. on friday japan's jobless rate for november will come out. the rate stood at 4.2% in october, unchanged from the previous month. friday is the last trading day of the year for the tokyo stoke

market. a special guest will ring the bell to close the market for 2012. th that's the latest in business for this house. here is a check on markets.

a gunman has ambushed four firefighters in the u.s. state of new york. the attack left three people dead, including the alleged shooter. police say the firefighters responded to a house fire around 6:00 a.m. local time in the northwestern town of webster. they say a 62-year-old gunman exchanged fire with police officers. the gunman was found dead five hours later. police say he committed suicide. they believe the man set fire to his house and car to lure the firefighters. he then ambushed them. the alleged attacker spent nearly 18 years in prison for murdering his grandmother. he was banned from possessing guns. the shooting forced the crew to slow the attempt to fight the blaze. the fire spread to 7 nearby houses, burning them to the ground. a shooting rampage earlier the same day at a bar in a seattle suburb left one customer dead and another wounded. u.s. president barack obama has set a january deadline for proposals to deal with the gun violence. the u.s. has seen several shooting rampages this year,

including the newtown school shooting which left 26 people dead. international peace envoy brahimi sat down with talks with syria's president bashar assad. they tried to reach a conclusion on the syrian war, but there is no indication they reached a breakthrough. they met in the capital damascus. they discussed the crisis and moving forward. they planned to set up an administration with government and anti-government forces. he plans to pull power from the assad administration to a new government. but the opposition wants to overthrow the assad administration and the government regards the opposition as terrorist. two insider attacks in afghanistan have rattled the international security forces. an afghan policewoman shot and killed a u.s. contractor in the capital kabul. the victim was a security consultant for the police.

other officers detained the woman at the scene. her motive is unknown. another afghan police officer opened fire at a checkpoint in the northern province of jasjon. he killed five colleagues and fled the site. police believe he was a member of the taliban. afghan soldiers and police officers have killed more than 50 members of the international forces this year. the taliban has not claimed responsibility for the kabul shooting, but the group claims to have placed members in the military and police force to launch insider attacks. japan's air self-defense force scrambled fighter jets

after a chinese aircraft came close to japanese air space. the aircraft was flying near the senkaku islands in the south china sea. the defense ministry says the asdf spotted a wide 12 propellor aircraft on its radar. the plane was approaching from the north. it released f-15 fighter jets from the chinese prefecture. it flew within 120 kilometers of the islands but left without raiding japanese air space. the afdf dispatched fighters in response. a wide 12 aircraft also approached the islands last saturday but left without violating japan's air space. a chinese think tank says it can't rule out the possibility of clashes breaking out between japan and china over territorial disputes. the government-affiliated chinese academy of social

sciences released its assessment of the international situation in a report on monday. referring to the budget in japan, they reported china-japan is in the worst state. it adds that tensions could be eased through diplomatic channels. china has repeatedly sent ships into japanese waters around the senkaku, apparently to jeopardize japan and to recognize that opposition exists. china says japan's stubborn position could push it further. china-japan relations, as well as northeast asia's security instability will face difficult challenges. analysts said the report is thought to be aimed at thwarting further moves of the president

to be inaugerated this week. park began picking her team of aides and advisers. lawmaker yohuhu is her chief of staff. the 67-year-old yu is an ally of pug. he is known as an expert in economic policy. >> clie chinese leaders are wary of the incoming government. park began picking her team of aides and advisers. lawmaker yohuhu is her chief of staff. the 67-year-old yu is an ally of

park. he is known as an expert in economic policy. park says pug will play a strong role at shaping foreign policy. she also named yun as her spokesperson. yun is vice president of the newspaper and television association. he studied at tokyo's ko university. park is said to set up her administration this week. russian president vladimir putin spends christmas eve in india, and he sees the chance to sign billions of dollars worth in trade and defense deals. putin met indian prime minister singh in new delhi. they agreed on a deal for india to purchase components of fighter jets to assemble. they also agreed to set up a $2 billion fund to set up joint trade and economic projects. they decided to add two nuclear

reactors to southern india. but they reportedly failed to agree on terms of compensation in the event of an accident. wrestling fans turned out some people will line up for the smell of baked goods. developers are offering them a machine that can replicate the handy work. >> reporter: japanese consumers loved stuffed bred especially sweet read bean buns. this factory churns out 1300 buns day.

breds like these are usually made by hand. dough contains live yeast. if it isn't handled with care the final product could lose the soft fluffy texture customers love. this year the factory started using this new machine. it can reproduce the taste an texture of bread made by skilled hands. >> translator: what's great about this system is it extracts the filling the way we do so the final product is really quite beautiful. >> reporter: this is the manufacturer behind the mechanical baker. he shows how the machine stuffs the bread without damaging the dough. it deposits the dough using a conveyor belt an then the machine wraps it around the filling. the secret lies in how the

machine moves when closing up the dough. it pushes the center down to create a dent for the bean paste. then it twists the outer part of the dough and closes it up around the filling. four plastic wings move together to perform the twisting action. the device manufacturers observed how hum dough. they spent three years getting the machine to work just right. their machine squeezed into the chinese market last year. it now responds to a growing need for automated food processing. labor costs in china are soaring. breaking into china's market wasn't easy. >> translator: high quality isn't enough. chinese customers especially

won't buy buns just because they taste good. they have to look handmade as well. >> reporter: bread makers in china are particular about the pleats on their stuffed products. the shape is formed by hand by twisting an pinching the top of the dough. the manufacturers developed a device that can make several pleats at one. the metallic fingers are designed to mimic hand movements. each panel is gently curved. this allows the machine to gather up the dough to make the characteristic pleats. >> translator: we create machines that can reliably perform the same task as a skilled worker. we're working on more difficult challenges using cutting edge technologies. >> reporter: the machine's

developers have big dreams. they want to be provide handmade products to consumers around the world. for the people who run japan's amusement arcade life is fast from fun and games. some operators are adapting by targeting the older player. >> more than half the people who visit this arcade on weekdays are age 60 or over. this couple is in their 70s. >> it's no fun staying alone at home. that's why i come here. >> translator: i haven't joined any senior citizen groups. it's more comfortable and less stressful here. >> reporter: we're in a shopping mall in a suburb of inazawa city.

there is not a lot to do here as far as shops and entertainment goes. the mall is about the only game in town. the number of elderly customers is up by one-fifth from 14 years ago when the mall opened. so as the young and family clientele shrunk, the owner shifted his target to the elderly. he makes an effort to help the customers stay fit so they'll enjoy the games more. a daily exercise routine started this summer. it eases stiff joints and backs. the customers have been playing hard. when the excitement runs high, customers can use these blood pressure monitors. they can even borrow eyeglasses when they need to know the score.

many machines here are older models. they're easier to play and more familiar to the elderly. there are even a few games set up just for the senior clientele. news of the arcade has spread. its member program now boasts more than 120 people over 60. >> each customer might not spend that much, but if we get many customers, our business will flourish. we have to tailor our services to the demand of the community. >> the izakawa game center has helped this community. this man suffered a brain hemorrhage several years ago. he spends most of his time at home. his wife has been taking care of him, but the responsibility is stressful.

one day when they were out shopping, they stopped at the arcade. now they are regulars here. he has become more cheerful. hitago has made friends with other customers at the arcade. they give each other support. >> translator: we can talk about various things and understand how each other feels. i feel encouraged to try and live better. >> beyond the bells and bright lights, the izakawa game center may be a glimpse of the future as they adapt to a growing senior clientele.

many people in japan are shoveling heavy snow off their streets. we have the world weather forecast. >> many people in the western flank of japan is experiencing white christmas. we already have as of 5:40 a.m. 198 centimeters of snow identified and in the next 24 hours the snowfall will continue. about 80 centimeters is

expected. meanwhile pacific side will be remaining very dry. that's going to make things very cold. we'll take a look at those temperatures little while later. here things are very warm. the warm water will intensify this prtropical depression. heavy rain is affecting the philippines. temperature wise you can see it's in 30 degrees in manila.

back towards seoul minus 6 degrees. you'll see minus 13 degrees your honor wednesday morning. in tokyo barely hanging on to the double digits. moving over to the american continent, can't tell you much here. not good news. severe thunderstorms are going to be possible across eastern texas and in louisiana. here damaging winds, hail and also tornadoes cannot be ruled out. this is due to the warm air and the cold air clashing. the cold air is plummeting toward the south. in oklahoma you'll see the heaviest of snowfall. that will be 50 centimeters, which is quite rare for this time of year.

19 degrees. houston looking at 24 degrees. just above that oklahoma city you're looking at minus 2 for your high. let me first show you a video from the ukraine. a cold snap has claimed the lives of 83 people and hundreds of others have suffering from frostbite. temperatures have been freezing over the last nine days. those suffering from extreme cold be get some relief. temperatures are expected to get back to normal. in moscow things are going to still be cold. we'll take a look at those temperatures later. this system is going to be very action one moving across

denmark. the ongoing heavy rain could continue. temperature wise london at 9 degrees. we can get moscow minus 9. frigid, biting cold. now your extended forecast.

one more story before owe leave you. defense officials in the u.s. and canada are keeping a close watch over the skies today. they have begun their good will mission of tracking santa claus. technicians with the north american air space defense command are following santa's gift giving travels around the world. they are tracking his progress with radar systems and satell e satellite. officials carry out their special mission on christmas eve and christmas day. people around the world can get updates on santa's progress from

the website. >> we really don't see any problems. no weather that would slow santa down. he's pretty experienced. he knows how to get around trouble spots. >> the santa tracking program started 57 years ago when officers at the command began providing updates. many children called the phone number to try and speak to santa. that's all for this edition of "newsline." thanks for joining us.